wining & dining

Well this post is about two weeks late! Oops… I can’t tell you how hard it is to study for exams worth 20% of your final grade and complete homework assignments when all I want to do is cook, bake, blog about it, and of course eat whatever I made. Oh well, there’s not enough money in my bank account to support all of my culinary aspirations any way. For those of you who don’t know, I’m kind of developing an obsession with my slow cooker (well it’s not even mine, it’s Anna’s mom’s but it’s in our kitchen). If you haven’t checked out my post for chicken tikka masala in the slow cooker, go get the recipe and make it for dinner! So yummy. It seems to me like the slow cooker is making a comeback. Everywhere I look in the foodie world, people are finding ways to make traditionally non-slow cooker dishes in the slow cooker. Why? Because it’s so easy! This beef brisket took probably 15-20 minutes to prep and then you just throw everything in the slow cooker and forget about it. It’s a pretty amazing invention.

And the mashed potatoes…so delicious and guilt-free. While I did have to put in some butter into these mashers (I mean you can’t not put butter in mashed potatoes), I used greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream to make them extra creamy without the fat. And fresh grated parmesan cheese – I’m talking about the expensive kind too – it just tastes so comforting. But wait! There’s more (channeling my inner infomercial salesman)! If those carrots don’t make you a believer just by looking at them, let me quote one of my taste-testers (aka Kevin) who said “these carrots taste like candy.” Yeah. Candy. And no, I did not put sugar on them – just EVOO, salt, and pepper. Do you want the recipes yet?

So here is what goes in the slow cooker: your browned brisket, the deglazed pan of beef broth + drippings + garlic, celery, brown sugar, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, dijon (or any other kind) mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika. Oh yeah and S&P. For me, it’s kind of a long list of grocery items, but the flavor is definitely worth it! And if you have everything but one ingredient, don’t bend over backwards and go to the grocery store. Just improvise and be your own cook – use what you have!

Don’t those look heavenly?! And I hope you noticed I got the nice parmesan cheese. Now onto the carrots…

Heat EVOO in a large skillet. Brown brisket on all sides. Half way through, put the garlic in the pan. After brisket has cooked about 8 minutes, take out of the pan. Put beef broth in the pan to deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pan. Simmer for two minutes. Place brisket in the slow cooker along with the broth mixture. In a bowl, combine the ingredients from brown sugar through S & P. Place this mixture in the slow cooker. Add the celery. Cook on low for 8 hours. Once done, remove from slow cooker and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Place potatoes in a big pot of water. Bring water to boil and cook potatoes for about 20 minutes (or until fork tender). Drain potatoes. Mix potatoes with remaining ingredients (you can use a beater, masher, or just a spoon). Taste to make sure the seasonings are right.

Roasted Carrots:

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Servings: 2

4 large carrots, peeled

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Place carrots on a baking sheet (I lined mine with foil – no clean up). Drizzle with EVOO and season with S & P. Roast for 25-35 minutes (or until browned and tender).

To serve: Place a dollop of mashed potatoes on plate, top with sliced brisket and some of the cooking sauce. Place roasted carrots on the plate. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!

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Such a clever use of CHO! That’s one of our favorite tricks. If you’re ever looking for more dishes you can make using Chobani, make sure to check out Chobani Kitchen for lots of ideas! http://chobani.com/kitchen